You thought "Beasts of the Dominions" was a bestiary for "Beasts & Barbarians" ?
Wrong ! I know... I wonder why they called this book "Beasts of the Dominions" since it contains the description of less than ten monsters... "Adventures in the Dominions" would have been far better, fot it is a collection of 10 short or medium-sized adventures. I must say I am not a big fan of the free B&B short adventures, for I think they don't manage to convey the thrill of Sword & Sorcery gaming, but here, they are quite compact so you won't get disappointed by most of the tales that this volume contains. For interested purchasers, here is a very short description :

"The betrayers of Rhybard" : The heroes must act as spies for a Borderlands governor; their mission is to infiltrate a powerful rebell band. Will they side with the brave rebells or remain loyal to the governor ? This adventure is vert dense, and those 10 pages provide stuff for several evenings.

"Lotus Spawn" : In Zandor, the heroes have to retrieve the local ruler's daughter from the claws of brigands who have found shelter in an old forest. Alas, the players will have to compete with a reckless rival, and the forest is infested by... Lotus Spawn.

"Moloke-Tanu": The players are members of a merchant party allied to a friendly Ivory Savannah tribe. But strange disappearances menace the success of that expedition. Who or what is lurking around ?

"Pale Shadow" is definitely reminiscent of the "Pool of the Black Ones", a Conan story by R. Howard. The heroes had no other choice but to join a pirate crew highly divided between sailors disgruntled by their captain and the rest still loyal to her. In fact, only the common goal of a treasure hunt thanks to a recently found map holds them together. Once on the island, violence is about to break up....

"Pantarkos Lucretios" : This decadent Faberterran noble has kidnapped the heroes who must now fight for their survival in his private arena... or perhaps they'll prefer to find some new escape route ?

"Caudru" : The heroes act as bodyguards of a 16 years-old pampered and arrogant nobleman, Salathar, in southern Kyros. One night, while they're enjoying a banquet in the palace of Salathar's uncle, the High Priestess of the godess of fertility pays them a visit....

"Spider Queen" : The heroes escort the newly appointed governor of Vadokara, in southern Kyros. Something's wrong in this crumbling town, since the two former governors disappeared without a trace. Can the heroes save the new governor from such a doom ?
I have some criticism here. Not of the adventure itself which is really entertaining, in the very spirit of S&S. But I deeply regret the absence of any map for I am unable to figure out the layout of two key scenes (the escape and the final lair). The excellent abstract navigation system provided once again by Umberto cannot give the answers to the very probable questions the players will ask on the whereabouts of their characters and their foes.

"Tokomal's Jaghza" : While riding along a Tricarnian abandoned ricefield, the heroes rescue a desperate pregnant teenage girl. But she's soon abducted once again by her evil master... (Warning, this story is truly horrific !)

"Yarakan" : One more adventure with a strong Conanesque feel : the heroes are hired by a vengeful captain who wants to retrieve a Khav cargo out of his vessel, now stranded in the swamps of the Buffalo river delta....

"Yellowfingers" : Here, the heroes are sent to a gloomy cairn in order to negotiate peace between two clans...

The book ends with an Appendix, the "Disciples of the Black Temple", a Caldeian sect with new edges and gear.

At first glance you may think “only ten new monsters? Not much of a bestiary.” But you’d be wrong. Included in this volume are not just monsters, but several NPC’s who are perfect for long-running villains, plus a new cult – Disciples of the Black Temple. All are fully written up and each has a detailed scenario attached. These are exceptionally well-written, one of them, Tukomal’s Jaghza / Hosts actually caused a shiver of (fear, loathing?) when I read it. They capture the gritty, raw feel of the 1930’s pulps perfectly.

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Beasts of the Dominions is the newest release by Umberto Pignatelli for his excellent Savage Worlds Sword and Sorcery setting, Beasts and Barbarians.

This book is unique in that it offers a look at 10 different adversaries culled from all over the Dread Sea Dominions. The approach showcases different regions while presenting details on the listed monsters. Each entry in this 116 page title also offers an adventure where the focal point revolves around the enemy and geography presented. This gives the game master plenty of material for either running as is or using as inspiration for home brewed games.

The list of adversaries ranges from new unique monsters to well worn staples of the fantasy genre. While the new monsters are interesting and fun, the familiar faces manage to root the book in the tried and true sword and sorcery milieu without ever feeling derivative. In addition to S&S classics, I was often reminded of David Eddings’ Belgariad and Robin Hood while reading the book. These reference points were welcome and represent one of the things that makes Beasts and Barbarians so great – it doesn’t forget where it comes from.

The book concludes with some player facing material that offers information on playing a Disciple of the Black Temple as well as a section that offers GM advice on incorporating Disciple characters into his/her game.

This book represents a fantastic value for fantasy enthusiasts. If you are already playing Beasts and Barbarians you can pull multiple sessions of material from Beasts of the Dominions. If you aren’t playing B&B there’s nothing to stop you from using BotD for any Savage Worlds fantasy game. Once again Umberto does a great job offering much more than just combat encounters. There are all sorts of fun story elements and plenty of opportunities for non combat situations.

I always look forward to new B&B releases and this book doesn’t disappoint. It’s worth noting that customers who had previously purchased B&B from RPGNow got an email with a customer loyalty discount. This is a great way to thank fans!

Beast of the Dominion is a book everyone should have if they are running a Beast and Barbarians campaign. It is filled with ten new antagonists you can be worked into any campaign to challenge the players. The antagonists could be a single creature, threat, or organization offering a broad selection of challenges.

The book is well written and designed. The book is broken down by adversary listing the notable details up front, like habitat, description (including a brief history), and stat block. Each one this then followed by a fairly detailed Heroic Tale (short adventure) that easily can fill a session or two. The scenarios are well though out and use a lot of different aspects of Savage Words, such as chases, dramatic tasks, battles—with a good dash of combat for good measure. In addition a full set of stats for the NPCs in the scenario are included at the end of the tale, proving a quick reference point for the GM. The book is sprinkled with various sidebars offering suggestions on how to expand the tale, or historical bits of the region/items the PCs may encounter in an area.

One thing I like is that they didn't waste space with unnecessary stat blocks for NPCs, just the necessary changes were listed. For example in one tale there is an encounter with Amazons. The GM is directed the solider stat block and then told which small changes were made to make the character unique. This means the page count is filled with useful details rather than a lot of duplicated information.

The bonus supplement at the end with the Disciples of the Black Temple is a nice addition that offers more options to players and GMs. A whole campaign could be centered around this group and their plans quiet easily.

Like most of the B&B books, this one can easily be used for any fantasy game with little effort on the GM, making it a good resource.